The present invention relates to an animal feed supplement.
Animal feeds must be formulated to meet specific needs of digestive systems of particular animal groups. For instance, ruminants, such as cattle, sheep and goats have different nutritional requirements from non-ruminants because ruminants have multiple stomachs and unique microbial cultures in their digestive tracts. Ruminant feed must not upset these microbial cultures but must accommodate the animals"" nutritional needs.
Protein requirements of ruminants may be typically met by feeding the animals urea, along with grain, hay and silage. Urea is broken down in the ruminants"" stomachs by microbes so that nitrogen in the urea can be used to make amino acids. Urea is recycled in ruminants in the following path described in Biochemical Adaptation by P. W. Hochachka (1984): liver ureaxe2x86x92blood ureaxe2x86x92equilibration with extracellular waterxe2x86x92salivary glandsxe2x86x92urea in salivary glandsxe2x86x92rumen urea. Once in the rumen, urea is hydrolyzed to bicarbonate ion and ammonium ion by the action of urease.
Urea does not typically provide more than 30% of nutrients that can be used by the ruminant to make protein. If a ruminant ingests too much urea, the animal may die because excess nitrogen is converted to ammonia which may be lethal to the animal.
Some non-ruminant animals, such as swine, are omnivores. Swine typically eat a diet that includes about 75 to 80 percent carbohydrate and about 16 percent protein. Swine typically are not fed urea. Swine have a very low tolerance for roughage. Corn is regarded as an excellent source of energy for swine but requires supplementation because corn is deficient in protein, calcium, and the amino acids, lysine and tryptophan. Swine are more sensitive to dietary deficiencies than ruminants because, unlike ruminants, swine do not have microbial cultures that synthesize required nutrients.
Poultry, which have crops and gizzards instead of stomachs, have different digestive systems and nutritional requirements than animals such as ruminants and non-ruminants such as swine. Poultry must ingest gritty materials such as oyster shells that mechanically aid each bird in digestion. Poultry, such as chickens, have a protein requirement of 16 to 20 percent of food ingested. Like swine, poultry typically do not ingest urea to make proteins. Poultry and swine, like ruminants, are susceptible to ammonia poisoning.
In addition to each animal""s unique anatomy, nutritional requirements of the animals are dictated by each animal""s needs with respect to meat production, milk production, egg production as well as reproduction of the animal and the animal""s response to stress. Typically, the animal""s feed must be specially formulated to provide the necessary carbohydrate, fat and protein in a form that can be metabolized by the animal.
The Anderson et al. patent, U.S. Pat. No. 2,808,332, issuing Oct. 1, 1957, describes a use of ethanol in feed supplements for ruminant animals. The patent describes incorporation of ethanol into formulations that also include nitrogen sources such as urea, ammonia, ammonium propionate, ammonium phosphate, as well as phosphoric acid, molasses, vitamins and trace minerals. The patentees noted that microorganisms inhabiting the digestive tract of ruminants cannot sufficiently synthesize some of the amino acids needed from urea and carbohydrate when living aerobically, lacking unoxidized hydrogen. The ethanol is added to the feed supplement in order to supply unoxidized hydrogen to the ruminant.
The Anderson et al. patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,484,243 (""243), issuing Dec. 16, 1969, describes an animal feed for use by ruminants. The animal feed includes sugars, water-miscible alcohols such as ethyl alcohol and n-propyl alcohol, urea, and phosphoric acid.
The ""243 patent describes a use of n-propyl alcohol because concentrated water-miscible alcohols, such as ethanol, have an undesirable property of denaturing protein on the animal""s tongues. The patentees added n-propyl alcohol to their feed supplement in order to eliminate this adverse effect. The patentees noted that it was necessary to employ minimal concentrations of n-propyl alcohol in feeding animals initially because the cattle did not eat the supplement in adequate amounts if large quantities were added.
The Bentley et al patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,959, issuing Sep. 5, 1989, describes a use of an anthranilonitrile derivative for promoting growth, improving feed efficiency, and for increasing a lean meat to fat ratio of warm blooded animals. The patent observed that anthranilonitrile derivatives tended to reduce fat and promoted growth in warm blooded animals. The patentees also noted that these materials are useful as antiasthmatic and antiobesity agents for humans. The anthranilonitrile derivatives are described as mixed directly with animal feeds or prepared in the form of animal feed premix or concentrate that could be blended with an animal feed or a top dressing.
The present invention includes a method for increasing meat production, while reducing fat in ruminant and non-ruminant animals and for increasing egg production in poultry. The method includes mixing ingredients that include 190 proof ethanol in a concentration of about 9% by weight of a food supplement with clay and a nitrogen source such as urea to form the food supplement. The feed supplement for ruminant animals additionally includes a condensed distiller""s soluble fraction. The mixed ingredients are added to an animal feed such as corn. The animal feed and supplement are fed to an animal at least once per day.
The present invention also includes an animal feed supplement for use by ruminant and non-ruminant animals that includes 190 proof ethanol in a concentration of about 9% by weight of the supplement, a nitrogen source such as urea and clay.
The present invention includes a method for rapidly increasing weight of a non-ruminant animal while reducing fat in the animal and for increasing egg production in poultry that includes supplementing an animal feed with a supplemental formulation that includes 190 proof ethyl alcohol, ethyl acetate, urea, clay, molasses and water. The present invention also includes a method for increasing milk production in dairy cows that includes a further addition of a condensed distiller""s soluble fraction to the feed supplement of the present invention. The feed supplement also reduces feed dust and odor in livestock buildings and pens.
The present invention also includes an animal feed supplement for use by non-ruminant and ruminant animals comprising ingredients of 190 proof ethyl alcohol, ethyl acetate, urea, phosphorus, clay and water. In one embodiment, the feed supplement also includes soybean oil in a concentration of 10% by weight and whey in a concentration of about 12% by weight of the supplement. One other embodiment of the feed supplement of the present invention that includes the condensed distiller""s solubles fraction.
It has surprisingly been found that an animal supplement that includes 190 proof ethyl alcohol in a concentration of 9% by weight of the supplement and urea can be fed to non-ruminant animals such as poultry and hogs, even in the presence of whey. This result is surprising because individuals skilled in the art have previously believed that swine and poultry would die if fed a food supplement that included the concentrations of ethyl alcohol and urea described in the present invention.
It has also surprisingly been found that the feed supplement, fed with the condensed distiller""s fraction, significantly boosts milk production in dairy cows. It is believed that feeding the feed supplement of the present invention that includes both an alcohol concentration and the condensed distiller""s soluble concentration increases energy per pound of food consumed. Meeting a cows energy requirement without requiring the cow to consume excessive amounts of grain results in a significant weight gain per pound of food consumed as compared to cows not receiving the food supplement and cows receiving a food supplement with ethanol only. With the desirable weight gain, cows are better conditioned in terms of muscle development and have stronger estrous cycles and better conception rates. It has also been found that dairy cows receiving the food supplement of the present invention display less ketosis and less laminitis than cows not receiving the food supplement.
As discussed in the Background, non-runinant animals are not believed to be capable of utilizing significant amounts of urea without forming toxic amounts of ammonia. It has surprisingly been found, however, that the food supplement of the present invention not only does not kill non-ruminant livestock but actually enhances meat and egg production while reducing fat in these animals.
One embodiment of the food supplement of the present invention for ingestion by livestock having a single stomach such as swine and poultry is shown in Table 1. It is not understood how or why the formulation of the present invention acts to increase meat production while reducing fat in single-stomached livestock and poultry. It is believed that the feed supplement provides more energy per pound of food consumed with less fiber, thereby increasing efficiency of food metabolism in animals receiving the supplement. It is not understood how the formulation acts to increase egg production. It is believed that an interaction of clay with ethyl alcohol and urea neutralize any toxic effects from the alcohol and urea.
The feed supplement of the present invention is preferably in a liquid form. The feed supplement may be mixed with the animals"" conventional or normal ground feed. The feed supplement of the present invention may also be provided to an animal in a lick tank or blended in an animal""s total mixed ration. The protein, carbohydrate and fiber in a particular animal""s diet may be adjusted as needed. One pound of the feed supplement of the present invention, fed with 3xc2xd pounds of roughage has an energy equivalent of 4 pounds of corn and the protein of one pound of soymeal.
It has been found that the formulation of the present invention is stable within a temperature range of 10xc2x0 F. to 120xc2x0 F.